Come What May
by Amelia Lauren
Summary: Before the pilot episode of Friends, Monica finds out some news that changes not only her life, but the course of the entire show too. How will Monica cope? And who can she really rely on when things get tough? Mondler in later chapters. Please read and review. Thank you.
1. Chapter One

**Come What May**

_Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, so, you may recognise the title and plot of this story and I want to assure you, I am not stealing it. About a week ago, Daisy-Anne, another FF writer, PM'd me, and said that she will no longer be continuing on Fan Fiction anymore, she asked me if I would carry on her story 'Come What May' for her, as she no longer was writing it but there was lots of interest. So, obviously, I agreed._

_Thank you to Daisy-Anne for the original idea, it was truly a great start to a story and I am flattered you wanted me of all people to carry your story on for you..._

_This chapter is a lot different to Daisy-Anne's work, as wrote her's in script form, and I am not, as I don't have the talent to do so. But, the idea of this story, is hers to start with. I hope I can do you justice._

_So, for those of you who didn't get to read the wonderful story by Daisy, this story is set before the pilot episode, just after Phoebe had moved out and just as Joey moved in. It starts from the infamous 'towel scene', a favourite pre-mondler moment of mine, really, but, with a twist._

_I don't own friends by the way, review! :D_

**Chapter One**

Gingerly, Monica slowly wiped the remnants of her smudged mascara from her face with an aloe-vera face cloth. She sniffed sadly and tossed the soiled and slightly blackened cloth into the wicker waste-basket beside her bathroom sink. She inhaled a deep, long and slow, shaky breath and clutched the sparkling white sink with her hands, gripping it for support so tightly that her knuckles were turning white.

Slowly, Monica raised her trembling, dizzy head to look up at the mirror. She sighed; the condensation from the shower had covered the mirror in a fine layer of mist. Using her wrist, Monica rubbed it across the mirror to clear the vapour.

She blinked again and found herself staring at her own reflection, bright blue eyes staring back at bright blue eyes, the shimmering sapphire colour of them was made to look all the more intense by the rim of pinkish red, puffy and inflamed skin the encircled both of them. Her eyes felt terribly dry and sore now, after all the tears she had cried.

It felt as if everything that _could_ go wrong in her life _had_ gone wrong.

Her year-and-a-half long relationship with Kip had ended a month ago because he 'couldn't commit to her, right now'. He couldn't commit to her, sure, but he could marry some other woman. It really did not make sense, really, he was either going out on some crazed or uncharacteristic whim, or he had been having an affair with someone whilst he was dating Monica. Phoebe, her ex-roommate, had decided she no longer could tolerate living with her, and had moved out to live with her Grandmother again, which understandably came as a massive blow to Monica. Her older brother, Ross, was divorcing his wife-turned-lesbian, which resulted in him being in a constant state of depression. To make matters even worse, she had bumped into a girl she used to be bestfriends with, Rachel Green, who seemed to be happy marrying a doctor and finally, her new neighbour, Joey, had gotten naked in her apartment.

Talk about things being messed up!

"Urgh!" Monica grunted angrily, shaking her head.

Why couldn't she be happy for once in her life?

Why were things so messed up right now?

Monica looked down at the bin and felt a lump rising in her throat. For a fleeting moment, she thought she was about to throw up again.

Irritably, she pulled a wodge of white toilet roll from beside the toilet and threw it into the bin, hiding all of the rubbish from view of her friends, who all had annoying tendencies to go snooping around her apartment.

Monica sighed gently and adjusted the white cotton towel around her body; she took one last deep breath and walked out of her bathroom, feigning confidence. Monica headed straight towards her bedroom, intent on crying herself to sleep that night and maybe eating half a tonne of ice cream later on.

Half way towards her bedroom, though, the door to her apartment opened and she jumped back a little, startled.

"Well, hello," Chandler greeted his friend, poking his head around Monica's front door.

Monica sighed, "Hey," she said quietly. She shuffled her feet on the floor and avoided Chandler's eyes, she knew the moment he looked at her, he would see right through her.

Oblivious to her misery for a few moments, Chandler closed the door and walked further into the apartment.

"Do you have any beers?" Chandler asked, "We're out of beers," he said. Referring of course to his newfound friendship with Joey Tribiani, it seemed as if they both really 'hit it off'. Monica was pleased for Chandler, at one point he had been close to Kip, too, she was delighted he finally had a friend to replace Kip, actually, Joey was better than Kip by miles, even if he did like to strip in people's apartments.

"Help yourself," Monica told him quietly, gesturing towards the fridge casually, still trying not to look him in the eyes.

Chandler narrowed his eyes and frowned. Abandoning the beers for a moment and turned towards Monica, she had an air of sadness around her. She wasn't still upset about Kip, was she?

"You okay?" Chandler asked her, noting her sadness.

"Phoebe moved out," Monica told him simply.

"Right," Chandler winced.

"I don't understand," Monica continued in the same depressed tone, "I mean, am I so hard to live with?" she asked, "Is this why I don't have a boyfriend?"

"No, you don't have a boyfriend 'cause..." he trailed off, "I don't- I don't know why you don't have a boyfriend," Chandler told her honestly.

"You should have a boyfriend," he continued.

"Well, I think so," Monica sniffed. Her fragile wall of confidence crumbling slightly under the strain of emotions piled inside her.

Chandler sighed sadly, feeling concerned about her; he knew that her relationship with Kip had ended badly, very badly, actually, everybody knew that. He walked towards Monica with open arms and enveloped her towel-clad body in a friendly embrace.

"This is nice," he breathed, pulling her tighter into his arms.

"I know, it is, isn't it?" she replied quietly.

A pause lapsed and Chandler continued to hold his best friend, hoping he had at least been a little help. After a few moments though, she sniffed again.

"Hey," Chandler said softly, "Are you crying?" he asked. He pulled back from their hug and looked at his friend; a forlorn and almost scared expression had spread onto her beautiful face.

"What's up?"

Monica opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again and looked at the floor, sniffing to hold in the tears that stung her eyes.

"It-it's nothing," Monica lied.

Chandler rolled his eyes at her and took her hands, "Well, it seems like a pretty bad nothing to me," he said quietly.

"And you know," Chandler continued, "having a lot of 'nothing' on your chest is bad for you."

Slowly, Chandler pulled her hand and led her over to the couch. Monica sat down slowly, making sure her towel did not fall as she sat.

"So," Chandler said quietly, "What's wrong?" he asked, again.

"N-nothing," Monica stammered.

Chandler sighed, "C'mon, Mon," he said, "I know you better than that, what's up?" he asked.

Monica took a deep breath again and looked at Chandler; she chewed her lip for a few seconds, trying to find the right words to say. Sensing her discomfort, Chandler took her hand again and looked at her with earnest blue eyes.

"I'm pregnant," Monica finally said, closing her eyes as she talked.

Chandler's throat went dry, "A-are you sure?" he asked her.

Monica nodded, "I've been throwing up for days, and I've taken three tests," she said "they're all positive."

Chandler sat in a stunned silence, watching as the tears slowly fell from Monica's eyes and down her tired face.

"Is- is it Kips?" Chandler asked Monica.

Monica nodded, "Wh-what am I going to do, Chandler?"

**...**

_Review please! x_


	2. Chapter Two

_So it's GCSE results day here in Britain, isn't it? I hope you all did well and got what you undoubtedly worked hard for, remember though that they're not everything, be proud of what you achieved. :)_

_Anyway- I'd like to thank you for your reviews, both on here, and on twitter too... They're amazing and I'm so pleased with all the feedback._

_So, Monica and Chandler will get together, but not for a while yet... I'm kind of enjoying their friendship at the moment, and seriously, can you see pre-season one Chandler being all grown up yet? It will happen, though, rest assured. I just want to make this realistic really..._

_I also do not own friends, in any way, shape or form... sigh..._

**Chapter Two- Five Weeks Pregnant  
**

"I'm really, really, scared," Monica admitted in a quiet, trembling, little whisper. The vulnerability in her voice was worrying to Chandler, who was used to her characteristically strong and independent voice. It was slightly unnerving actually to listen to how small and quiet she sounded in that moment, even more worrying when her whisper was paired with the tears that tumbled down her cheeks from her sore, bloodshot eyes, "I don't know what to do," she said.

"I, errm," Chandler stammered quietly, still trying to register that his friend was actually pregnant. And pregnant with Kip's baby to make matters even worse.

Chandler had always known that the relationship between Monica and Kip was a bad one, and he wasn't all too surprised that they had broken up in the end either. Their relationship had been unstable and unhealthy from the very first day they got together, stemming from a drunken night of sex at a Christmas party and kept fuelled only by Kip's need for constant sex and a girl to bring to parties and Monica's desire to have at least one relationship that didn't crash and burn within a few months. If Chandler was honest he was surprised they dragged it out for an entire year and a half. But, that's what happens when two stubborn people get together.

And now they were having a baby... together.

In all of the ways that Chandler had pictured Monica being pregnant, none of them involved her being knocked up by an ex that was about to get married to some other woman. This seemed like more of a soap opera scenario actually, rather than her life.

"Have you, errm, have you told Kip yet?" Chandler asked after a little while.

Monica shook her head, "Not yet," she said, "You're the only one I've told," she told him quietly, drying the tears on the back of her hand.

"Are you going to tell him?"

"Yes, no... I-I don't know," Monica sniffed, shrugging dramatically, "What am I meant to say?" she asked, "Hey Kip, I know you hate me and everything but I'm knocked up with your kid?"

Chandler sighed, "Well, not _exactly_ like that," he said, "But, you _should_ tell him."

"I will," Monica nodded slowly, "I'm just- I don't know what t-to do," she cried.

Chandler bit his lip as she begun to cry again, sighing, he put his arms around her again and hugged her, "It'll be okay, Mon," he said gently "You'll figure it out."

"This isn't how it was meant to be," Monica cried, "I always thought I'd be married and happy when I got pregnant, n-not single and alone."

"You're not alone, you have me and Ross," Chandler said, "And Joey and Pheebs too."

Monica exhaled slowly, "I'm not ready for this."

Chandler rubbed her back, "There are other, ermm, options," Chandler said awkwardly.

"Y-you mean an abortion," Monica said, "I couldn't do that to my baby," she said, crying loudly.

"Hey, hey," Chandler whispered, "I know," he replied kindly.

"I just couldn't do that," Monica said.

"I know," Chandler said, he pulled out from the hug slowly and touched her tear stained cheek, "Look at you," he said gently, "So protective over your baby already, I think you'll be a great mum."

Monica coughed slightly as her crying slowed down, "Really?" she asked.

"Yeah," Chandler said, "I really do," he smiled, brushing a little of Monica's hair from her face.

"When did you get so mature?" Monica asked, smiling a little as she teased him.

Chandler smiled, "Y'know, I think it's the shock," he said playfully, "Maybe you should tell me you're pregnant more often."

"Thank you," Monica said softly.

"No problem," Chandler smiled, "What do _you_ want to do?" he asked.

"I-I think I'm going to do it," she said, a little stronger than before, "I guess I'll have to just, be ready."

Chandler smiled, "You know we'll all help," he said.

"Really?"

"Well yeah," Chandler nodded, "I mean, I'm crap with kids but I can buy the occasional toy or something, whatever babies like these days."

Monica rolled her eyes, "I think you'll be great with the kids, besides you're gunna have to be."

"Why?"

"You don't expect me to change _all_ of the diapers do you?" she replied humorously.

"Okay, I draw the line at poo," Chandler said, holding his hands up in mock defence, Monica giggled slightly, wiping her tears away from her eyes.

"Thank you for cheering me up," Monica said.

"Some people can sing, some can dance," Chandler grinned. Monica smiled at him and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"And others are going to be wonderful uncles," Monica said, "Thanks," she whispered, lingering in his hug for a few more moments.

"Hey, isn't Joey going to get a little anxious where his beers are?" she asked, remembering why he'd come over in the first place.

"Joey can wait a little," he shrugged.

"Go to Joey," Monica ordered with a soft smile, "A man like you shouldn't be hangin' out with a pregnant woman on a Friday night."

"Fine, fine," Chandler said, "But are you going to be okay, though?"

"I'll be fine," Monica said, a hint of sadness still in her voice, "I'm going to have to be, aren't I?

Chandler gave her a sympathetic smile and patted her knee slightly, "You're going to be a great mum," he said as he stood up, "Come over to my apartment if you want, once you're dressed."

"I don't know," Monica said, "You know Joey stripped in here earlier," she chuckled slightly.

"Yeah, he said he did," Chandler shook his head in slight amusement, "But really, he's a nice guy, I think you'll be great friends soon."

"You know, introducing me to your roommate is what landed me in this position," Monica said.

"So now this is my fault?" he laughed.

"Well..." Monica teased.

Chandler shook his head and picked up the beers, "I'm going to go before you start blaming me for anything else," he laughed quietly.

Monica smiled at watched Chandler heading towards the door, amazed how he could cheer her up better than anyone else. Sure, she was scared. Well the word 'scared' is a hell of an understatement actually, but she felt a little bit better.

"Seriously," Chandler said when he reached the door, "You'll be a great mum."

_Okay then. I hope my attempt at this chapter doesn't suck as much as I thought so... I have a few questions I need help with though..._

_How old are all the Friends at this point, the timeline in Friends sucks?_

_How long after Joey moving in does Rachel come?_

_Are there any words that are really different to do with babies in America, seeing as most of you are American? Like in Britain we have a 'nappy', not a 'diaper'._

_Okay... Hmm, this is confusing. Also, I haven't ever been pregnant, so some of the more medical details are going to be a little off... Sorry!_


	3. Chapter Three

**_Authors Note: _**_Haven't I been a loyal updater these past couple of days? I don't think I've ever been able to do this before, haha! I think it's because I've actually planned this entire story out... which I've never done before._

_Thank you so much to those who've reviewed all of my stories, a big thank you goes out to Cynthia Salander and Veridissima, who helped clearing up some of the Friends timelines, both of your reviews helped me so much, thank you!_

_Also, I know you're all crazed Mondler fans out there ;) And rest assured, they WILL get together, just not for a long time yet... _

_So here's chapter three, I really hope you enjoy reading. Don't forget to let me know. _

**_Disclaimer: _**_No, no, no... I'm not able to buy FRIENDS, apparently, they're not on sale... *sigh* x_

**Chapter Three****- 5 Weeks Pregnant**

Monica had always known that she wanted to be a mother, ever since she was a young girl herself. When she was a child, her favourite childhood game was playing 'mummy' to her beloved dolls, then as a teenager, she would babysit the children in the neighbourhood, and now, as a young adult, those mothering instincts were still strong. Every time she saw a pregnant woman, or a mother and her child, she'd get this sort of... ache in her chest which just reinforced her desire to be a parent. She knew others didn't and wouldn't understand where this need came from, but all her friends had always known that she would be a great mother. In Monica's 'ideal life', she would be married when she got pregnant, or at the very least she'd have a boyfriend who actually loved and cared for her. They'd be happy too, waiting with bated breath for the results to come from the test, and they'd celebrate when they saw the little 'plus' sign. It may be a rather small dream, compared to others, but it was something she yearned for.

Never once, though, had she dreamed that her of all people would have to ring up an ex-boyfriend, who was engaged to another woman, and let him know he was going to be a dad, even though he hated Monica now. Never once did she think she'd feel this way...

She was so bewildered, sick with worry about Kip, her friends and her families reactions, sick with fear of being a single, young mother in New York, sick with confusion.

Although her talk with Chandler had succeeded in cheering up her miserable mood last night, she was still no closer to coming to terms with what was happening to her now. Her talk though did make her see that this wasn't just going to go away, and Chandler was right, she did love her baby already. She had always wanted to be a mum after all, and even though this wasn't how she wanted her life to go, on some level, beneath the fear and drama, she was actually a little happy. It was surreal, sure, but this would be her life from now on, and no amount of moping, crying or feeling sorry for herself would change that... but she was really going to have a little baby... she was going to be a mum. Once that had settled in, she decided to take action. She called in sick to work and told Phoebe, Ross, Chandler and Joey to come around that evening. And also, she decided to call Kip.

He was the father after all, even if he didn't want to be and even though Monica just knew that he was going to blow a fuse, she'd have to tell him, he had the right to know.

What she was currently struggling with, was trying to gather the will to ring him. She had the phone in her hand this moment, but she was yet to dial the number. She was just sat there, staring with anxious eyes at the folded scrap of paper in front of her with Kip's new telephone number written upon it. This phone call was going to change his life forever, but it had to happen sooner rather than later, the longer she left making this call, the harder it would become to do so.

"C'mon, Geller," Monica told herself silently, "Suck it up."

She took a deep, shaky breath of air and quickly pressed the numbers on the corded phone, her heart begun hammering in her chest and those sickening feelings were bought right back to surface. This was the right thing to do, wasn't it?

It was... right?

She begun to panic, maybe she was making the wrong choice and it would be better if Kip didn't ever find out. Her mind was still having an eternal debate when he picked up the phone and her ex-lovers voice filled her ears.

"Hello, Kip speaking," he answered. Monica gulped, _no turning back now..._

"H-hi, Kip," Monica stammered, "I-it's me, Monica."

"Monica?" Kip sounded shocked, and a little mad too, much to her dismay, "What're you calling me for, we've broken up?"

Monica sighed, "I know that," she said, "But I- I errm, I need to talk to you... It's important."

Kip sighed bitterly in response, "Monica, I'm getting married in a few months time."

"I know."

"Then what could possibly be important enough for you to call me?" he asked her in an icy cold voice, dripping with sarcasm.

"I-I can't say by phone," Monica admitted quietly, "Can you meet me, for lunch or something?" she asked.

"That's the problem with you, Monica," Kip said, "You've got to learn to let go. I don't want to get back with you."

"I don't want to get back with you, either, _believe_ me," Monica said.

"You know, I don't," Kip replied, "I don't believe you. You always had a problem with letting ex-boyfriends go."

Anger began to rise inside Monica and she tightened her grip on the phone, "Don't flatter yourself so much, I don't want to be your boyfriend again... but I do need to see you," she said. She took a long breath and steadied herself, "Look," she said in a calmer tone, "I didn't ring you to start a fight, I just, I need to talk to you about something, please, meet me for lunch or something."

"Why should I?"

"Because it's important, to both of us."

There was a pause before Kip suddenly groaned in a heated manner, "For God's sake," he cursed, "You've gotten yourself knocked up, haven't you?" he asked her.

Monica's throat went dry and a ringing filled her ears. She really didn't want to have this convocation on the phone; she wanted it to be handled like mature adults, not like this. What was she to say now? She couldn't lie to him, could she?

"I, errm," Monica struggled for words.

"For fuck sake," Kip swore, "I don't believe this... I don't fucking believe this, how could you be so careless?"

Monica's mouth dropped open and her temper flared, "It takes two to make a baby, Kip, and it's hardly my fault... the condom must of broken or something," she said, trying her best not to shout at him.

"I bet you're happy now," Kip laughed cynically.

"What?"

"You can't trap me into a relationship," Kip said.

"I am _not_ trapping you," Monica shouted, her voice cracking under the strain of tears, "How dare you even suggest that?" she said, "This is a baby we're talking about... _our_ baby."

"That _baby _isn't mine," Kip said, "I am getting married soon to someone I love, you can't just call me and tell me this, it's not fair, you're going to wreck my marriage before it even starts."

"It's not like I wanted this either," Monica argued, "I'm just as shocked as you are, and I really, really didn't want it to happen like this. But it is happening, so grow a pair and handle this like an adult," Monica said, tears falling freely now, she wiped them furiously from her eyes, "Can we please talk about this, I'm scared Kip, and I'm not saying you have to be involved-"

"Good," Kip stopped her mid-sentence, "'cause I don't want to be involved, go and trap another ex, Monica, I don't want anything to do with you or that baby."

"I can't believe-" and the line went dead.

Monica stared at it for a few seconds before slamming it forcefully into the phone cradle; she let out an agonised cry and buried her head in her hands.

**...**

She'd started to think that telling her friends the same day as Kip was a bad idea, seeing as how terribly bad the phone call went with him this morning. She knew Kip was going to react badly, but she never thought she'd be accused of trying to trap him back into a relationship or purposefully destroy a marriage. Nevertheless, it was too late to back out of telling them, now, so Monica decided that she'd cook them all a dinner first and tell them mid-meal. Her energy levels were very low, so she opted on cooking simple and easy pasta that night. The combination of stress, sadness and generally being pregnant had drained her both mentally and physically. So when her friends arrived that night, she was already feeling fatigued and irritable.

"Not that we don't appreciate the meal, Mon," Ross said as they all ate, "But what's the big reason for it all?"

Monica sighed and threw a look at Chandler, who gave her a little smile across the table, telling her to go for it. She took a deep breath and cleared her throat, the chatter around the table ceased and they all turned to Monica, looking at her with concerned eyes.

"I, errm, I have some news," Monica said quietly.

"Oh, oh, let me guess," Phoebe exclaimed.

"I don't think this is the sort of thing you can guess, Pheebs," Monica said, "This is... pretty serious."

Ross shifted his weight and they all turned to face her, "Are you okay?" he asked.

Monica sighed, "Yes," she said slowly.

"Then what is it?" Joey piped up.

Monica ran her fingers through her hair and exhaled slowly, "Well, I'm- I'm going to have a-a baby."

"What?" was the reply from everyone but Chandler, who already knew about it.

"I'm pregnant," Monica said slowly, "I'm going to have a baby."

There was a moment of silence before Phoebe rose to her feet and hugged her friend, "Congratulations, this is so cool," she grinned, "Have you thought of names yet-"

"Who's the dad?" Joey asked.

Monica cringed, "Kip."

"Kip?" Ross spat, shaking his head and stepping proudly into the role of 'protective older brother', "Well, have you called him, what did he say?"

Monica almost didn't want to tell them what Kip said, they were all highly protective over her, they would majorly flip out when they found out what he'd said. All of them, probably even Joey, though she hardly knew him yet, she got the feeling Chandler was right about him being a good friend soon to her. She smiled awkwardly and rubbed the back of her neck, looking at each face individually.

"I-I did call him, earlier today actually," Monica said slowly.

"How'd he take it?" Chandler asked.

"Not too well," Monica admitted sadly, biting her lip to brace herself for their reactions.

"What did he say?" Phoebe said quietly.

"Errm," Monica sat down again, "Well, we argued for a bit... then he told me he doesn't want to be a dad and that I should stop... errm..."

She didn't know whether it was because she was tired and worked up, or just reliving the argument, but she just began to cry openly, breaking all their hearts. Phoebe rushed over once again and smothered her friend in a supportive hug, whilst the three boys sat in a stunned and angered silence.

"That you should stop... what?" Chandler asked cautiously.

Monica sniffed, "Trying to trap him into a relationship," she told them.

"I'll kill him," Ross seethed angrily, rising to his feet.

"Sit down, Ross," Phoebe said, glaring at him, "You can kill him later."

Monica smiled a little despite herself.

"Do you want me to call him?" Chandler offered, "We _used_ to be good friends."

"No, thanks," Monica sighed, "I've booked a prenatal appointment and let him know on the message, he might come to his senses by then," she suggested.

"He won't," Ross argued, "How could he do this to you? How did this even happen?"

"No wonder you and Carol are having problems if you can't figure that bit out," Chandler commented sarcastically, Ross shot him a dirty look and Chandler shrunk back slightly, "Sorry," he said.

"I don't know," Monica said, "He might calm down by next week."

"And if he doesn't?" Ross asked.

Monica shrugged sadly, "I don't know, I don't want to talk about it."

"Have you thought about what you're going to do?" Phoebe asked.

Monica nodded, "I'm going to do this, I mean, I've wanted to be a mum for... years, it'll be hard, but I think I can do it."

"You can," Phoebe smiled, Chandler and Joey nodded.

"This is crazy," Ross shook his head.

"But," Chandler said, "We're going to be supportive, right guys?"

Phoebe and Joey nodded and smiled at Monica, they all turned to Ross.

"Right, Ross?" Chandler said, directly staring at him.

Ross exhaled and sat down slowly, "I can't believe this," he repeated.

"Please, Ross," Monica said, "The baby needs an uncle."

Ross sighed, "Well, of course he'll have his uncle," Ross smiled at his sister, "Congratulations, Mon."

"Thanks," Monica sniffed, drying all her tears, "All of you," she added.

"I call Godfather!" Joey said, raising his hand like a child in a maths class.

Monica laughed slightly and smiled at Joey, "If he or she gets Christened, I'll think about it."

"Well, in that case," Phoebe said, "I want to be Godmother."

Monica chuckled as they began to discuss the Godparent and Aunt/Uncle issues around her; she relaxed back into the chair and sipped her coffee, happy to know her friends would be supportive.

**...**

_Me again! So, what did you all think? It's hard not to be overly cliché when writing this... I've tried to make things different, and there are going to be plenty of plot twists. I've noticed, most Monica being pregnant stories seem to follow the same plot... Which isn't a bad thing, I'm just trying to be different. One thing you can't change, though, is how characters react. I think Ross would've been like this, but also supportive too... if that makes sense... And I'm rambling on and on again, aren't I? God, I should stop that soon..._

_Anyway, please review my longer-than-usual chapter and give me your reviews... 2227 words, that's some sorta record in my books! I'll be shutting up now. Don't forget your review ;) _

_Oh and you can do ?! this now! Okay, now I'm going, bye!_


	4. Chapter Four

**_Authors Note: _**_Be proud of me people, I'm here with another chapter for you all. _

_Now, for those who are wondering, 'A Night in New York', I haven't forgotten about it. I hope to update it soon, but for both personal reasons and writers block, I'm struggling to write the next chapter. I __**will**__ update it in the next couple of weeks, I hope, please bear with me, I'm sorry I've taken so long to write it. Also, 'First Kiss' is still half written, but I'm not satisfied enough with the chapter yet to upload it._

_'Forbidden Fruits' on the other hand, will be updated either today or tomorrow. Right now, my muse is focused on both these two stories, and I want to write as much as I can before my muse runs away again._

_Okay, so 'bout this story. As I've planned each chapter, I'm finding writing it a lot easier at the moment and it seems to be fairly well read and reviewed. Although it never ceases to amaze me how many people read, and never review anything. It's a bad thing to look at your traffic stats and see over 300 people have read the story, and about 27 people reviewed so far. I'm not expecting everyone to review, until you've written a story and posted it, you realise how important reviews are. I love each one of them, I really do. So thank you so much to everyone who reviews for me._

_Thanks to the twitters too ;)_

**_Disclaimer: _**_I don't own Friends, or any character, place of phrase mentioned. They all belong to the wonderful creators of Friends, and to the amazing actors too. _

**Chapter Four****- 6 Weeks Pregnant**

The clock on the wall directly adjacent to her was ticking loudly in the small waiting room, making her feel ill at ease and nervous as it ticked with an almost arrogant and mocking volume. Though she only had ten minutes left before her appointment, it felt as if she was waiting for years. She was so tense and anxious. Each tick of the clock was slowly swelling to a louder forte and the gap between each tick seemed to take longer each time, it was driving her crazy. It was her first ever prenatal appointment today, and she was restless and anxious to know how it was going to go today. She was also anxious to see whether Kip would show his face or not.

Over the course of the week since she announced her pregnancy, Monica had left two messages on his answering machine telling him repeatedly the time, date and place where she'd be coming today. She hoped that the shock would have worn off slightly and he'd turn up. She wasn't expecting him to stand there and be a father and play happy families with her, far from it, but she knew Kip, and he knew wasn't always a _total_ arse, and he _could_ be a fairly decent guy at times. She hoped that today Kip wouldn't be a 'dickhead' as Ross had so kindly put it yesterday.

Monica was sick or arguing with him now, though she and Kip were on bad terms, their baby _should_ come first. _It was time to grow up._ Adult life had begun, the time for petty arguments and blazing rows were over. Monica had heard enough stories from Chandler about his parents arguing over their years of friendship, and how difficult they'd made it on him to know that having stability was what a child needed. And she wanted that for her baby, even if the father _was_ Kip.

She sighed and looked at the door again; she'd been at the doctors ten minutes already, and still, no sign of Kip. She tapped her feet repeatedly on the floor, starting to think she should have asked someone else to come with her today, she knew that Ross would come, and Chandler, Phoebe and probably even Joey would come, if she had the sense to ask them and hadn't been so sure that Kip would show his face.

The door opened and her heart lurched, _maybe Kip had turned up after all_... but it was just another woman, a heavily pregnant woman from the looks of it too. She watched as she signed in with the receptionist and came and sat next to her, Monica gave the woman a shy smile, thinking that in a few months time, she'll be like that, with a large, swollen belly. It made her smile a little, all the times she'd wanted to be pregnant, and now she was...

If only Kip would arrive already, it would be so much better.

"Is this your first appointment today, then?" the woman beside her asked, Monica turned to face her slightly.

"Yeah, it is," Monica said quietly.

"I thought so. You don't look that far on," the woman said, "This is my last check up today, I'm due in three weeks."

Monica smiled at the woman, watching as she affectionately rubbed her stomach, Monica's hands touched her's gently, though it was still flat, "Congratulations, I'm only about 6 weeks along" Monica said.

"Thanks, I'm Courteney by the way," she introduced herself, holding her hand out for Monica to shake.

"I'm Monica," she smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Monica," Courteney smiled, "Are you here alone too then?" she asked.

Monica sighed, "Unfortunately, yeah I am," she said, a hint of bitterness in her voice, she subconsciously looked towards the door, hoping to see Kip there.

"Don't worry," Courteney said, "So am I, it gets better."

Monica smiled appreciatively, "Thanks," she told her, though she wasn't sure that Courteney was right. _How could being single, young and alone forever get better?_

"I'm serious," she said sensitively, "Trust me, the moment you see the sonogram or feel the baby kick, it changes everything... I was going to give my baby up for adoption, until I felt him kick."

Monica smiled, "Thank you, you're having a boy then?" she asked.

"Yeah, I am," Courteney smiled, "What're you hoping for?" she asked.

"I really don't mind," Monica said with a gentle smile. It felt... nice to talk to someone else maturely, who wasn't judging her, making her feel tiny like Kip did, she felt almost normal...

Courteney smiled at her, "I think you'll do great alone," she said, "It'll be hard at times, but in eight-odd months... you'll be a mum."

"Yeah," Monica relaxed slightly," Thank you," she said.

"Monica Geller," the receptionist interrupted her convocation with Courteney, "The doctor will see you now."

"That's my call," Monica told Courteney, "Good luck with the baby," she told her.

"You too," Courteney smiled at her, Monica walked towards the door with a hammering heart and a throbbing head, she took a slow breath and looked at the doctor's office. _This was it._

Monica felt a little foolish now as she sat in the small ob/gyn room, for really thinking that Kip would actually have the decency to come to their baby's first check up. As she sat on the hospital bed, now wearing a long white gown, all those feelings from earlier suddenly came rushing back to her, making her feel sick... again. The doctor walked back into the room, carrying a clipboard with her medical history notes on it.

"Sorry about the wait," the doctor apologised with a polite expression, "I'm Dr Cobb," she introduced herself, "How's the morning sickness?" she asked.

Monica sighed, "Badly named," she chuckled a little, "It's all the time, really quite bad, and not just the morning."

Dr Cobb smiled, "Yeah, that's pretty much normal for the first trimester," she told her in a reassuring voice, "Is it just you on your own then?" she asked.

"Yeah, it is." Monica said miserably.

"Okay, let's start then."

The doctor began her work, taking blood and urine samples, along with her blood pressure and asking Monica what felt like a million questions about her health and her life style and family, and Kip too. What Monica really wanted to know though, was if her baby was okay, and to see the sonogram.

"Okay," Dr Cobb said at last, sitting back on her chair, "I think we're about ready to get the ultrasound up and ready, are you ready to see your baby, Miss Geller?"

Monica smiled, "Yes," she said in a quiet whisper.

It was obvious Kip wasn't going to come now, wasn't it? She was... disappointed about it, she thought he'd step up for once in his life. This wasn't something one should do alone, but nevertheless, that was what Monica would have to do now. She was alone in this pregnancy. She thought he might have come, she didn't know how someone could know they're going to be a dad, and not do anything about it. It wasn't fair. Her friends would probably kill him when they found out he didn't turn up, or even return her calls. He was being so immature; he was going to be dad for God sake!

The doctor pulled the machine forwards, but stopped as the door opened. Monica's heart lurched, had he come?

"Sorry to disturb you two," a young fair-haired nurse said, "But you have company Miss Geller. Shall I send them in?"

Monica frowned. Them? Only Kip knew she was here today.

"O-okay," Monica said, she tilted her head to the side as she waited for, whomever it was to enter. Moments later, her heart swelled in her chest as she looked at the faces of not one, but all her friends. Phoebe, Ross, Chandler and Joey were there, small, timid smiles touching all their faces, a knot rose in Monica's throat.

"Oh my God," she whispered, "What're you doing here?" she asked them all.

"Ross heard the message on your machine earlier," Phoebe explained.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Ross asked, "We'd of come with you, you don't have to do this alone, Mon."

Monica sighed, "I, I thought that Kip might show up," she relented quietly, "I hoped he'd prove you wrong."

"Sorry," Dr Cobb said, "But are any of you boys the baby's dad... its family only," she said.

"Oh, errm, we're n-" Chandler began.

"No," Monica said, cutting Chandler off, "They're, they're all my family," she said, swallowing back a few tears.

The doctor nodded and beckoned them all in, "We're just about to start the sonogram," she said, "You're just in time."

Ross took his sisters hand and smiled, "Y'know I'm gonna kill Kip now, don't you?" he said, sitting beside her as the doctor prepped the machine.

Monica sighed, "I'd rather not talk about him anymore," she said hostility. Ross nodded in understanding and turned his attention to the screen, Chandler sat the other side of her, placing his hand on her shoulder, whilst Joey and Phoebe lingered by the sides of the bed.

Dr Cobb squeezed some gel onto Monica' stomach and she giggled at the sensation, she bit her lip a little to contain her emotions. She felt both exited and scared, everything seemed to move slower and her eyes began to burn with tears. Years of dreaming, and now it was happening. This was really happening. Moments later, the doctor flicked a switch on the buzzing computer and turned to Monica. Her breath caught in her throat and her hold on her tears crumbled, she shuffled forwards a little and gazed at her baby. _Her baby, _she didn't know the name of the emotion she was feeling, it was hard to describe. Her heart seemed to be beating so fast, something was tugging at her heart and she couldn't stop crying, it was unreal and dream-like.

"It's so small," Monica whispered, looking as the doctor pointed to what looked like a wavy-lined, peanut, "Is, is everything okay?" she asked.

"Everything is just fine, Miss Geller," Dr Cobb told her, "I'll give you a moment," she announced as she excused herself.

Monica blinked rapidly and touched the screen with her finger; a small, tender smile touched her lips.

"I can't believe that's my niece of nephew," Ross whispered, squeezing his sister's hand, he was beginning to tear up too.

"Congratulations, Mon," Chandler smiled at her.

"Thank you for coming," Monica said, "You didn't have to come."

"We did," Phoebe said.

"Yeah," Chandler agreed, "After all, this is _my_ fault for introducing you to Kip," he winked at her.

Monica laughed and playfully smacked him in the ribs before she leaned her head against Ross's body, "I can't believe I'm going to be a mum," she whispered.

"It's amazing," Joey said, "I'm glad I came."

"Thank you, Joey," Monica said.

"That's okay," Joey said, "Plus, I'm going home with that hot nurse receptionist tonight," he grinned playfully.

Monica pulled the screen forwards and stared at her baby, her tiny, tiny, unborn baby. She loved him or her already, so much.

"We're going to be okay," Monica silently chanted in her head, "It's me and you against the world."

**...**

_Well, that's it for chapter four! We didn't really know much about Kip in the show, so I've decided to make him a jerk, just 'cause I can, much better than I could with Monica's ex's we know more about, like with Richard, though most us Mondler fans don't like him (me included, sometimes) but, I don't believe he was a __**complete**__ jerk, and he probably would've stayed with Monica... not happily like Mondler, but you know what I mean. With Kip, though, I can literally do whatever I want with him... and I shall!_

_Please, please review. The next chapter will be up soon, and an update for 'Forbidden Fruits' should be expected either tomorrow, or the day after... Yeah, I don't have much of a life at the moment, cos I don't start uni for three weeks still, and all my friends/family are working or in college/uni already... _

_Thank you for reading._


	5. Chapter Five

_Y'know what I absolutely cannot stand writing? Scenes with Judy Geller in it... And y'know what I have had to write, a scene with Judy Geller in it... It has been rather hard to do so. I really hope she hasn't come off as too bitchy in this chapter, but I really don't like the woman, and it makes it hard to write her. I know for sure, through reading other stories, that lots of other people don't like her and find this hard to write too. So I hope you'll understand it this chapter isn't very good compared to others... But she had to tell her parents at some point... right?_

_Thank you, thank you, thank you for the reviews! I'm so pleased you all liked the last chapter... And I'm happy that some of you managed to get the 'Courteney' and 'Dr Cobb' references...:D And yes, Kip is a jerk, and I highly doubt he'll redeem himself for a while..._

_I don't own Friends._

_Please review..._

**Chapter Five****- 7 Weeks Pregnant**

Now that Monica was entering her seventh week of pregnancy, she was slowly becoming more and more agitated and irritable, snapping at her friends and her colleagues at the restaurant more frequently and her temper was extremely short. She'd found herself getting very angry and acting exceedingly fractious towards people, and towards herself as well, often becoming annoyed with how she was acting, she knew it wasn't her fault, so did everyone else. It was simply her pregnancy hormones making her like this, and Kip's appalling lack of support was only making matters much, much worse for her.

It had been an entire week since Monica had gone to her prenatal appointment, as she was yet to hear from Kip. She thought that now he'd had three weeks to digest the fact he was going to be a dad, something would have switched within him making him realise that he had to grow up already! But no, nothing, Monica had heard absolutely nothing from him, not even a phone-call.

It was so incredibly infuriating.

She seriously doubted that she would ever hear back from that man again, it was like he had disappeared off of the face of the planet or gone into hiding or something. She was exceedingly sickened by his whole blasé and unconcerned attitude towards the little life she was carrying inside her.

She was so stressed out lately too, and the fact that she had to do this all alone was making her situation a whole lot worse. Whereas _most _women had a husband or boyfriend to give some support during this less than easy time, Monica did not, and though her friends had tried to help, none of them had really been that successful. So far in her pregnancy, this week had been the worse of them all. She seemed to spend one third of her time running to the bathroom to throw up what little food she had managed to eat, another third peeing and the remaining time fighting with her hormones which were going up and down more times than a yo-yo.

And now, to add to her stress, Monica had decided to choose this week out of all of them to finally tell her parents that she was pregnant... If she was honest, she had been dreading telling her mother from the moment she first saw that little pink plus on the pregnancy test. Oh, she could hear her mother now, criticizing and belittling her in the way that only Judy Geller was capable of. Monica had also made a silent vow to never treat her son or daughter in this way.

So for the second time in three weeks, Monica had taken the day off of work and had cooked yet another meal, this time, inviting her parents, though she was beginning to regret calling her mum and dad today. She had convinced Ross to come alone as well, though, for the moral support.

Ross was currently sat at the kitchen table, drumming his fingers on the table, looking at his watch, knowing that in a short amount of time, Monica was going to reveal her pregnancy to their parents. She must be terrified; Ross knew that he was the favourite of them and Monica had it a lot harder than he did... Ross strongly hoped that his mum wouldn't be too hard on Monica today, especially as she was extra emotional lately. He looked up from the table when he heard Monica exiting the bathroom; he sighed and looked at his sister with a sympathetic smile, she looked tired.

"Feeling any better, Mon?" Ross asked with concern.

Monica sighed and rolled her eyes, "No," she said, as if it was obvious, "I'm thinking about putting the TV in the bathroom and along with my bed," she said as she sat down beside him, "It's like I live in there," she said, gesturing towards the bathroom miserably. Ross chuckled lightly but stopped abruptly when Monica glared at him. Another silence settled, and he knew that Monica was growing more and more fretful and anxious about telling their parents.

"Mum is so going to freak out," Monica whined, running her fingers through her hair stressfully.

"No she won't."

Monica scoffed, "Hmmm, I can picture it now," she begun sarcastically, "She's going to be _so_ _proud_ that her twenty-three year old daughter is knocked up with her ex boyfriends baby, living alone with no contact with him and working in a crappy old restaurant the pays me very little."

Ross sighed, "Well, maybe she'll be proud of you," he suggested.

"When had mum ever been proud of me?" Monica asked.

"She is proud," Ross said, "She just doesn't show it very well."

Monica sighed and rested her head in her hands, looking at the table with a sombre expression.

"Well, I-I'm proud of you," Ross said quietly.

Monica looked up from the table, "What did you say?" she asked slowly, her tone mellowing a little bit.

"I said I'm proud of you," Ross told her again, louder this time, "We all are, me, Chandler, Joe, Pheebs," he said, giving her a gentle smile "We're all really proud of you, you're being really strong about this. I think you'll make a wonderful mum, Mon."

Monica smiled a little and hugged her brother, sniffing as she felt herself beginning to cry, "That's so sweet," she said tearfully.

"It's true," Ross said honestly, "And I'm sure that mum and dad will see that too."

Monica hugged him tighter and felt tears roll down her cheek, "Damn these hormones."

Ross laughed, "And my offer of killing Kip for you is still available," he told her, only part joking.

"Ross, my problem is that the guy won't see me, killing him is only going to make what I need impossible."

"Fine," Ross said, pulling out of his sister's embrace and offering her a supportive smile, "But it's a shame to put my kara-tay to waste," he teased.

Monica rolled her eyes at him, "Don't start with the _kara-tay _again," she said.

"Sorry," Ross apologised meekly, "But seriously," he said seriously, "We are all proud of you, even if mum isn't. You've handled this really, really well... better than _I_ would have."

"Thank you, Ross," Monica smiled, wiping a tear from her cheek just as a knocking sound resonated around the apartment, Monica closed her eyes and chewed her lip.

"Oh God," she grimaced, "They're here."

"Mon, relax," Ross said as Monica stood up, "It'll be okay."

"_Sure_," Monica rolled her eyes at him and went to answer the door, trying her hardest took look happy and laidback. It didn't work, because the moment she opened the door, she was bombarded with a plethora of questions.

It took all of Monica's strength and self-control not to snap suddenly at her mother, as she casually told Monica that she looked as if she hadn't slept in a month. Most daughters are greeted with a 'hello, how are you?' or a friendly greeting, but not her. Instead of snapping at her though, Monica took a deep breath and plastered a smile on her face before giving her mother a polite and courteous hug and beckoned both her mum and dad inside. Ross gave his sister another sympathetic smile and went to greet his mum.

"Something smells good, Mon," Jack commented kindly, kissing her daughter on the cheek.

"Thanks, Dad," Monica smiled appreciatively. It did strike her as rather strange how different her mum and dad were to each other, especially when it came to how they treated Monica. Monica gave her dad and lingering hug before turning back to her family.

"So, Ross tells me that your roommate has moved out," Judy commented, "Did you two have an argument, dear?"

Monica sighed, "No, mum," she said slowly, "Phoebe and I are still best friends; she just lives with her Grandmother instead."

"Oh I see," Judy narrowed her eyes at her daughter, "Are you _sure_ you're alright? You look terri-"

"I'm fine," Monica interrupted her mother in a stiff voice, shifting her weight slightly to the side. Ross kicked her leg under the table and gave her a warning look.

"A-actually," she said, "There is something that I need to talk to you about," Monica said, gripping the table with her fingers, "I'm pregnant," she said quickly.

"What? How is this possible?" Jack asked, "You don't have a boyfriend, do you?"

Monica sighed quietly, "No, I don't have a boyfriend, but I _am_ pregnant."

"Please tell me this isn't some one night stand gone wrong," Judy said.

"No," Monica cried, a little offended by her mother's assumption.

"Who's the father, sweetie?" her dad asked in a calmer tone.

Monica exhaled slowly, "Kip," she told him.

"Kip?" her parents said in unison. Monica nodded.

"Well, where is he?" Jack asked, "I thought he was getting married to someone else."

"I-I don't know where he is," Monica admitted awkwardly, "He, errm, he hasn't talked to me."

"For heaven's sake," Judy shook his head, "Have you at least _tried_ calling him?"

"Yes," Monica said coolly, "And he knows... he just, he doesn't _care_."

"Well, try calling him again," Judy told her, "There is _no_ way you can do this alone, Monica."

"What?" Monica said.

"Do you have any idea how hard being a parent it, Monica?" Judy said, "This isn't like one of your latest obsessions, or babysitting."

"I know that," Monica insisted, "I know it's going to be hard."

"Oh you have no idea," Judy shook her head, "You need a husband or boyfriend."

"Mum," Ross said warningly, recognising the tears in Monica's eyes.

"No let her carry on," Monica said, her voice cracking a little.

"I'm just _saying_," Judy carried on, "You simply cannot be a single mother in New York city, even in this day, have you thought about what you're giving up?

Monica clenched her fists together, "I know it will be hard but I'm going to be a single mum, so I guess you _can_ be a single mum in New York," she snapped, rising to her feet.

"Sit down, Monica," Judy said sternly, "Have you even thought this through?"

Monica gritted her teeth and frowned, still standing, "I _have _thought this through," she said, "I've done nothing but think it through. And I'm seven weeks along and the baby and I are fine, thank you for asking," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She looked at her family and shook her head, it was most definitely a terrible idea to invite her parents around tonight, she had to bite her lip to keep herself from blowing off again.

"Monica, don't talk to us like that," Judy scolded, "You need to think this through, I mean, being a mum is very, very hard and without a dad you're not going to be able to do it. It'll be too hard for you, you won't be able to cope alone. You need to..." Monica closed her eyes and stopped listening to her mum. Was a little support too much to ask for?

"Excuse me," she said dryly and slowly stalked out of the apartment and into her bedroom, closing the door firmly behind her. She lay back on the bed with tears in her eyes, rolling onto her side, she fumbled around on the nightstand and picked up her sonogram she'd had printed out, she ran her finger over the image gently and sighed.

There was a knock at the door and Monica closed her eyes, trying to ignore it, but it remained annoyingly persistent and after a minute, the door opened.

"Hey, Monica," her dad said softly.

Monica rolled over and looked at her dad, his expression was soft and kind, just like him, really.

"I'm sorry I ran off, I-"

"No need to explain, I'm sorry your mum upset you like that," Jack said, sitting at the foot of her bed, "So, I'm going to be a Grandad, huh?"

Monica smiled slightly "Yeah, you are. You're not mad too, are you?"

"Of course not," Jack said, "I mean I'm shocked," he said, "And I'm not best pleased that Kip is being like this to you... But I'm not mad at you, I know you've probably given this a lot of thought."

Monica ran her fingers through her hair. What if her mum was right and she couldn't cope? "I'm sorry," she said, "I-"

"Don't appologise," Jack said, "You're an adult, your mother and I were younger then you when we had Ross..." he shook his head, "It feels like only last week you and Ross were babies. God, I'm old."

"You're not old, Daddy," Monica smiled at her dad, sitting up.

"Oh I am," Jack sighed, then he paused, noticing the photo in Monica's hand, "Is that your sonogram?" he asked. Monica nodded.

"Yeah," she said, holding it to him, Jack took it and smiled, "It's beautiful," he said, a little teafully, "Congratulations," he told her.

"Thanks, dad."

"And don't pay too much attention to your mum, she cares about you a lot," he said, "She just can't express it well... give her a few days and she'll be knitting baby shoes," he said.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Jack smiled, "And I know your mum said it'll be hard, and that's true," he said, "But it'll be worth it too, because the love you get from the baby makes you forget how hard it can be," he explained, "Seeing you all grown up makes it worth it."

Monica smiled, "Thank you," she said again and moved to hug her dad, "I love you, dad," she said.

"I love you too," Jack grinned, "And even though you're going to be a mum youself, you'll always be my little Harmonica to me..."

Monica leaned her head against her dad's shoulder and looked at her baby's sonogram, suddenly more determined to get this right. You can be a good single mother... can't you?

_There's nothing like a bit of Ross/Monica bonding, is there? And I kind of wanted to have a scene between Monica and her dad, as that relationship wasn't really explored, and I think they could've been rather close._

_Oh, and I wanted to ask you all something. Does the fact that I write in British English bother anyone? It's been pointed out in a few of my stories, including this one that I tend to write 'mum' instead of the America 'mom' as well as other spellings too... I'm sorry if this makes it hard to read, and if you want, I'll attempt to write American English from now on... But if not, I'll carry on like I am. I've tried to use American words, like 'couch' instead of 'sofa' and 'trash' instead of 'rubbish'... It's hard though, and most of the time I don't even realise there are different spellings. Take 'tonne' for example... Please let me know, and bear with me... If this does bother you, I'll try and change, but I make no promises, 'cause it's like trying to unlearn everything, if that makes sense?_

_Quick thanks to my fellow twitterers too... If you haven't already followed me, and you'd like to, search for ' AmeliaLauren' :)_

_Please review. I will be updating shortly..._


	6. Chapter Six

_THANK YOU so much for your incredible feedback; you're all such lovely, kind people... It never ceases to amaze me how many people still love Friends, and Mondler; it makes me so happy to see there are so many fans! :D_

_This chapter took a long time to write, too long. Sorry, but it's been hard, and life has been difficult lately._

_I am however, over the moon about the feedback for my latest 'infatuated' chapter! I do intend to update that in a few days._

_Now I say this a lot, but I will update all my stories, including 'A Night in New York' and 'First Kiss'. Nothing annoys me more than an unfinished story, so I will update them all, I promise!_

_Please review! _

**Chapter Six****- 12 Weeks Pregnant**

Autumn had long since blossomed into the cold winter months now and November had made its leisured change into December, bringing forth the bitterly cold winter weather along with promises of Christmas and New Year. But this year, the prospects of the seasonal celebration weren't half as exciting as they usually were, and even if Monica tried, she couldn't possibly feel less Christmassy than she did right now. She simply could not think about celebrating the festivities whilst she had much more important things to think about, mainly, the baby that was brewing inside of her.

Although it had now been five weeks now since Monica had told her parents she was expecting a baby (and an exceptionally long five weeks it had been, too), and although she had tried her absolute hardest not to let what her mum had told her get to her, she was slowly beginning to crack under the extreme weight of all the stress that had so callously been put on her shoulders. It seemed that every now and then, what her mother had said to her would pop back into her mind, and she'd begin to question whether she was doing the right thing, going at this all alone. No matter who you are, there isn't a single pregnant woman who wants to hear that they don't have what it takes to be a mother. And when you're told that by your own mother, the one woman who by default is meant to love you forever, well it comes as well aimed punch below the belt.

What aggravated Monica even more, though, was the fact that during the entire five weeks, she hadn't heard a peep out of her mum. She hadn't called once to apologise for upsetting her like she did, she hadn't even called to ask how she was getting on now. It was like she didn't care. And that saddened Monica deeply. It was quickly becoming a great fear that she'd fail as a parent or find that she couldn't cope. She needed someone to tell her she could do this, because she didn't believe she could anymore.

To add to her annoyance, Kip had managed to remain invisible too, and had not tried to contact Monica. It seemed to be a quickly growing trend, not calling Monica back after offending her.

Monica had now decided that her friends had been right all along. Kip was an arse, a total waste of time and space; she had never met a man she hated as much before, she hated that he was making her feel this way, hated that he didn't give a damn about their little baby. However, although Monica hated him, it didn't stop Monica from trying to find him. Even if he was a total jerk, she owed it to her baby to _at least_ try and find him; it isn't fair on him or her to grow up fatherless, every little girl needs her daddy, and every baby boy needs a father. She wouldn't forgive herself for not trying to give her that chance.

It was becoming abundantly clear to all of Monica's friends that she was close to the end of her tether. So, in an attempt to cheer her up and bring her out of her misery, Chandler and Phoebe decided to take her out to lunch at their favourite Chinese restaurant.

"How's the morning sickness now, Mon?" Phoebe asked her as the climbed into the booth, Phoebe one side of the table, and Chandler and Monica next to each other opposite her.

Monica sighed, "Horrible," she admitted as she reached for the menu and scrutinised it for something that wouldn't make her feel sick, "But it's getting better now I'm getting to the end of the first trimester."

"You know," Chandler said, looking at Monica, "I think you're beginning to show a little."

Monica shot him an angry look.

"Uh-oh..." Phoebe tutted at him, "You're in trouble now, Chandler."

"What, why?" Chandler asked.

"Are you saying that I look fat?" Monica said, picking up the menu and hitting him on the head with it.

Chandler cowered slightly and looked to Phoebe for help, "No, no, of course I'm not," Chandler said, taking the menu from Monica to stop her hitting him, "I'm _saying_, you look pregnant," he explained.

"Which is the same as fat," Monica told him dryly.

"No it isn't," Chandler deadpanned and turned to Phoebe again, "A little help, Pheebs," he said.

Phoebe nodded and picked up the menu in front of her and hit Chandler on the head with it, Chandler sighed, "I meant, help _me_, not _her_."

"Well, you did call her fat," Phoebe said, and hit him again.

Chandler groaned, "I didn't," he argued and turned to Monica, "You don't look fat, you look very, very pretty and definitely not fat," he said.

Monica smiled a little, "Okay, I guess you're forgiven," she rubbed his arm gently, just as Phoebe hit him again.

"Okay," Chandler said, "_What_ was that for?"

Phoebe shrugged, "It's really fun," she said and raised the menu again.

"Okay, you can stop now," Monica said, "Don't want to give Uncle Bing brain damage now, do we?" she smiled at Chandler, rubbing his arm.

"Fine," Phoebe said, putting the menu down, "That was so much fun, though," she said, hitting him one last time.

"Can I take your orders now?" a waiter said as he approached them.

"Oh yes please," Chandler said, "Can I have a suit of armour to defend myself from the menu warriors please?" he said and shot Phoebe a look across the table.

The waiter looked unimpressed, Monica and Phoebe giggled.

"On second thoughts," Chandler said, "We'll have three of these noodles please," he said, pointing to their usual order.

**...**

"I'm sorry guys," Monica said. Their meal was cut short after Monica had run out of the restaurant, it seemed like the baby didn't like Chinese food, so they were back to Monica's apartment again.

"Don't worry," Phoebe assured her, "It's not your fault."

Monica sighed, "It just sucks, you know," she told them, "I thought it would be a nice fun day out where I didn't have to think of pregnancy stuff... and then **bam **I throw up at the littlest whiff of eggrolls."

Chandler touched her arm and gave her a sad look.

"It's like I can't get a moment's piece," she complained.

"I don't get it," Phoebe said, "I thought this is what you always wanted."

"It is," Monica said slowly, "But, I just, I don't like being reminded every second that in a few months time, I'm going to be all alone with a baby."

"You won't be alone, Mon," Chandler said.

Monica smiled, "I know I've got you guys," she said, "And I appreciate that, a lot, but... someday I'm going to have to sit my child down and explain why he or she doesn't have a dad."

They all fell silent for a few moments, letting what she said sink in. Now she phrased it like that, they could understand why she was so stressed out. It was horrible, watching her like this, their happy Monica looking so broken and vulnerable.

"I can't believe Kip hasn't called you yet," Phoebe said, "Ohh, I just hate that man," she told Monica and Chandler, "I could just, like, curse him and make his thingy drop off."

"I've got an idea," Chandler said, "And it doesn't involve cursing anyone's genital area either... Why don't I try and call him. I mean, we used to be close, you know, before he turned into a toilet brush."

Monica paused, thinking, "You really think he'll talk to you?" she asked.

"Well, it's worth a shot, right?" Chandler said.

"Yeah, I guess so," Monica smiled at him, "Thank you, Chandler."

Chandler smiled at her and stood up, "I'll try and talk some sense into the guy."

**...**

Monica chewed her nailed nervously as she watched Chandler pacing back and forth in her apartment, waiting for Kip to answer the phone, she tapped her foot on the floor anxiously, hoping and praying that Chandler would be successful in getting Kip to talk to her like he deserved to. She sighed nervously and rubbed her stomach, which was slowly starting to swell, though she didn't look pregnant yet. She couldn't wait for her pregnancy bump; this didn't seem as real without a bump. She looked up at Chandler, and he gave her a sympathetic look, Phoebe touched her back supportively as they waited in a strained silence.

It seemed like hours before Kip picked up the phone, Chandler immediately launched into speech.

"Kip, it's me, Chandler," he said, his heart was thumping in his chest, "Look, you need to call Monica, I'm mean she's carrying your child. I know it's not what you want, but it's happening and-" Chandler stopped talking and frowned, listening.

Monica leaned forwards, straining her ears to hear what was being said, her heart sunk in her chest as Chandler shook his head helplessly, she exhaled slowly.

"I-I'm sorry to have disturbed you," Chandler said as he hung up the phone.

"What did he say?" Monica asked in a near-whisper.

"It wasn't him," Chandler told her quietly, he looked so sad.

"What?" she whispered.

"It wasn't him," Chandler repeated, he put the phone on the table and walked towards Monica, taking her hands, as if the brace her, "Mon, Kip's changed his number," he told her.

Monica's heart deflated and her face fell, "He what?" she whispered again, she must've misheard him.

"He changed his number, Mon, I just talked to an old woman called Elaine," he told her, his voice was calm and sad.

"He really doesn't want this baby, does he?" Monica whispered sadly, her eyes began to prickle with tears. He went to the length of changing his number to escape her; it broke her heart... who would do such a thing? Chandler sighed and pulled his best friend into a loving hug, kissing her head. He felt terrible, God, Kip was a bastad.

Not knowing what to say to Monica, Phoebe simply touched her shoulder too as she broke into tears.

"I can't believe this," she sniffed.

"I know, Mon, I'm so sorry," Chandler apologised wholeheartedly.

"It's not your fault," Monica choked sadly, Chandler hugged her tighter, "I'm really alone now, he's never going to want to see me, or his baby, is he?" she said.

"I'm so sorry, Mon," Phoebe apologised, hugging her from behind, she looked at Chandler and he shook his head, both of them lost for words now. They could only apologise so many times, she looked heartbroken as she cried desperately onto Chandler's chest, clinging to him miserably. Chandler was both angry and sad too, how could anyone do this to someone, and to Monica too, she was wonderful, and now... alone. Well, she had him, and Phoebe, Ross and Joey too, but that wasn't the same, was it.

"This sucks," Monica cried, "God, that man, I just, I hate him," Monica said.

**...**

_I honestly admit that this chapter took too much effort, but I kinda had to do it... There is a plus side and a downside to planning out a story. The plus is obvious, you know exactly where your story is going, but the downside is that you get far too excited about the up and coming chapters, and you lose all interest in the ones leading to them... I kinda got bored writing this one, and I hope that it isn't reflected in my writing... My apologies if it is. _

_GOOD NEWS, though, next chapter, I am looking forward to. _

_Please review for me. Thank you for reading._


	7. Chapter Seven

_Bloody hell guys, would ya' look at all these reviews! You have made a girl very, very happy indeed. It's been... unbelievable, how people have taken to this, especially as there hasn't been any Mondler romance at all yet... I know that you're all itching for them to get together, and don't you worry, they shall... but... not yet. I know how they're going to get together, though! And Kip, yeah, I'm pretty much making him the arse-of-the-year, or to quote FRIENDS 'a perfect arse' ;) but I decided to kinda run with it, and it's working apparently. I have to admit though, that even I feel bad for Monica, so hopefully this much lighter chapter is better... I found this chapter much easier to write, thankfully, and that's probably the reason I managed to update the VERY NEXT DAY :D Not much will go on in this chapter, but hopefully you all like it._

_Now, I've also realised a flaw in my whole fic plan- and as I didn't want to change my plan and story, I thought I'd quickly fill you all in. Ross doesn't know Carol is a lesbian yet, even on the show he did. Because there is no way it would take the year between the flash back and the pilot episode to divorce, especially when Ross also has to impregnate Carol too, and doesn't happen until the pilot. Now, if you made head and tails of that, I applaud you, cos it's very confusing... If you don't know what I meant, just roll with it ;)_

**Chapter 7- 14 Weeks Pregnant**

Monica could not stop smiling, for the first time in ages, she was happy, and not the 'I'll-pretend-to-be-happy-to-get-people-off-my-back' kind of happy, but really, honestly happy. She still hadn't been contacted by either Kip or her mother, but right now, that didn't matter, because Monica was more contented and cheerful than she had been in so long. It was Christmas morning, still quite early so everyone else was still in bed, but that wasn't the reason that Monica was smiling like this. No, the source of her smile was far from that, because there she was, standing in her bedroom in nothing but her underwear, staring at her reflection in the floor length mirror with tears in her eyes and a sense of overwhelming pride in her gut. She choked slightly and turned to the side, grinning, because there it was, only small and barely even noticeable, but there nonetheless was a small, tiny bump protruding from her hips.

She'd read somewhere, that most first time mothers don't show until around 19 weeks, but because she was a very slight and petite woman to start with, she could see it. A tiny, little pregnancy bump sticking out between her hips, with clothes on, she wouldn't have noticed, but as she started to get dressed she caught a glimpse of herself and she hadn't moved since then.

She smiled wider still and rubbed her hands over her slightly ballooned abdomen. This suddenly made everything seem so... real. She'd had a sonogram, but now she actually felt a connection with her baby, a sign that wasn't anything as horrible as throwing up. That was another reason Monica was feeling much better, now she was entering her second trimester, the morning sickness had eased off slightly and she could once again eat food. Even knowing she was single during Christmas, and that she wouldn't see her mum at all couldn't bring her down from her happy mood.

Maybe Christmas wasn't going to be as bad as she thought it would be this year. For a start, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe were going to be spending the day with her and Ross would be coming later on after trying to rekindle something with Carol.

As if on cue, she heard her apartment door open and grinned, she dressed quickly and got ready quickly before going out to celebrate a very happy day indeed. She exited her bedroom, still with a look of amazement on her face, to see Chandler at the kitchen, making coffee.

"Hey, Mon," Chandler smiled at her. She practically floated around the apartment towards him, she hugged him tightly.

"Merry Christmas," she squealed, hugging him, just because she was so very happy.

"Well it looks like someone's feeling better," Chandler smiled at her.

"I sure am," Monica said, "I haven't been sick all day, and" she took his hands and put them on her stomach, "I think I'm starting to show."

Chandler laughed, "How come a few weeks ago when I said that, you hit me with a Chinese takeaway menu?" he asked, amused.

Monica just laughed, "Because you said it _way_ before and I was depressed," Monica told him playfully, "But I don't care now, God, I haven't smiled this much in months."

Chandler grinned, "I'm glad you're feeling better, you haven't been like this since you broke up with Kip."

"Thanks," Monica said, her smile faltered for a moment at the mention of Kip's name, "But I don't want to hear anymore about that man today," she told him, "Stuff Kip, today I'm happy, so mention Kip again, and I'll hit you with something harder than a menu."

"Agreed," Chandler smiled at her, "And not just because I'm scared you'll hit me again."

"Good," Monica said, she looked up at him and was struck by two things, one, just how tall Chandler was. She didn't remember him being so tall before, it was strange and she realised just how long it had been since Monica had hugged Chandler like this without crying or being comforted, it felt nice. The second thing she was struck by was the mistletoe hanging over them; she looked up at it and raised her eyebrows.

Chandler laughed, "I figured if I stood here long enough, someone would kiss me," he told her jokingly.

Monica giggled, "Hmm, how convenient," she said, pulling out of their hug and stepping back, Chandler grabbed her hand.

"Errrm," he said, pointing up. Monica sighed and kissed him sweetly and gently on the lips, not noticing how Chandler stiffened slightly as she kissed him, he touched her cheek as she moved her head away, though didn't move from his lose hug.

"Merry Christmas," he whispered, blushing a little.

"Merry Christmas, Chandler," she smiled, just as the door opened and Phoebe and Joey walked in.

"Happy Christmas guys," Joey grinned, "Hey, mistletoe... _nice_," he said.

"Yeah," Chandler half sighed as he let Monica go, was it just him, or was that kiss better than a kiss between friends? He shook his head slightly and turned to Phoebe.

"Pheebs," he grinned and pointed at the mistletoe, Phoebe shook her head.

"No, mistletoe is cruel," she said, "Hanging a poor defenceless plant on the ceiling like that."

"That told you, Chandler," Monica winked, "Shall we wait for Ross before we do the presents?" she asked them.

"Yeah, we should," Joey nodded, "Where is Ross anyway?" he asked.

"With Carol," Monica told him, "Trying to get the marriage back."

Phoebe laughed, "I swear she's a lesbian," she said.

"That's ridiculous," Chandler said, "Ross wouldn't marry a lesbian."

"I would," Joey grinned.

Monica rolled her eyes, "Okay, _children_," she said, "I'll start breakfast."

"Hey, we're just giving you practice," Chandler smiled at her, "You can practice undressing me if you like," he said, winking.

"Dream on, Bing," she grinned and began making the batter for the pancakes. Yeah, today was a good day. Its amazing how one little thing can brighten ones mood isn't it?

**...**

After a rather large meal and exchange of gifts, the friends, now joined by Ross, hung around in Monica's apartment lazily, watching TV and chatting idly.

"Have you thought about what you're going to call the baby, Mon?" Phoebe asked her.

"Oh, Monica's had her baby names picked out for years," Ross said, "Probably some cookie or food brand," he added, chuckling.

Monica threw a well aimed pillow at his head and frowned at him.

"Why would Monica name her baby after a food brand?" Joey asked.

"'Cause she used to be fat," Ross told him.

"Really?" Joey looked at Monica in disbelief.

Monica sighed and glared at her brother, "Yes, I used to be fat," she said, "And no, the names are nothing to do with food."

"So, you do have names?" Phoebe said, "What about Phoebe, if it's a girl... or Pheebo for a boy?" she hinted.

Monica rolled her eyes, "Well, I like Emma, for a girl, or for a boy, Daniel."

"They're lovely, Mon," Ross said.

"Yeah," Monica agreed, "But... I don't know if it feels like an Emma or Daniel though."

"What about Joseph or Josephine?" Joey asked.

"No," Monica shook her head.

"Well, is he going to have Kip's name?" Ross asked.

"Ross," Monica said, "We have a no-Kip rule today, okay?" she said, "And no, this baby will be a Geller."

"You see, I couldn't ever have kids," Chandler said, "Nothing does with Bing."

"Chandler does," Monica told him.

"Oh yes," Chandler said, "Two children, Chandler and Chandler, that wouldn't be confusing at all. Chandler is a horrible name."

Monica shook her head and leaned against him, "I think Chandler is a lovely name," she told him.

Chandler gave her an 'are you kidding me' look, "Really?"

Monica nodded, "Yeah. I do... Bing's a bit iffy," she teased.

"Thanks, Mon," Chandler quipped and gave her a mock glare.

"Sorry," she apologised, "Bing isn't bad," she said.

"It was kidding, Mon," Chandler assured her, "We all know Bing is a weird, weird name."

Monica laughed and leaned closer into him, looking down at her stomach, "Can you believe that next Christmas they'll be a baby here too?" she asked.

"It's gonna be so cool," Phoebe smiled.

"Yeah, and I can dress up as Santa," Ross told her.

"It's going to be great," Monica said, and for the first time, she really believed that. She hadn't felt this happy in ages; she hoped that her happiness would last. Looking around at her friend's faces, each of them smiling, she realised that maybe she wasn't as alone as she thought she was in the first place.

**...**

_I really didn't see the point in making Monica miserable all through the story, and I figured that a pregnancy bump would lift her mood a lot. I hope you all liked the Mondler parts, even if it is just friendship at the moment. Bare with me Mondler fans, romance shall come. You know what they say; good things come to those who wait?_

_Is anyone else a little put off by all the Monica-cheating-on-Chandler stories lately? We're painting her in a pretty bad light aren't we? I'm not saying they're not good stories, because they probably are, I'm just like... What happened to the love guys?_

_Once again, apologies for grammar or spelling errors, but I am still updating on my iPod, cos my laptop is... well... crap. Those with iPods will know what a bitch auto-correct can be... The other day, I told my mum I'll be late cos I have to get some thongs in the shop, instead of __somethings__ in the shop... How embarrassing?!_

_Please, please review! :)_

_Thank you for reading._


	8. Chapter Eight

_Who's amazing- _**ithinkyourbetterthanuthinkur , Cynthia Salander, Veridissima, Shyfighter, matteney, absnab, dancer cherrybug, hugefriendsfan00, Boris Yeltsin... **_That's who!_

_I don't know if I can ever say how grateful and happy each one of you has made me, seriously, you're amazing people, guys! Thank you so, so much... I'm glad you liked the Mondler parts, 'cause I know you boys and girls like nothing more than Mondler action... But please don't expect them to suddenly leap into bed together (although that wouldn't be a bad thing? hehe). I can't say enough that they __**will get together**__ though... :)_

_No, Friends ain't mine._

**Chapter Eight****- 20 Weeks Pregnant**

As they walked slowly through the moderately busy high street next to each other, Chandler linked his arm with Monica's and gave her a gentle, friendly smile. He took her numerous bags of baby clothes from her, without a protest from Monica, and surveyed the high street for a decent place to stop for lunch. Neither Monica nor Chandler was talking to each other, but it wasn't uncomfortable, it was just the opposite actually.

It was one of the reasons why Chandler loved to hang out with Monica so much, because their friendship was so... easy and effortless, they could both be completely silent but still feel happy and content in each other's company.

Monica was now twenty weeks pregnant, so it was fairly obvious to everybody who passed them that she was expecting a baby. Because she was just about half way through her pregnancy now, her flat stomach had long since gone, and her abdomen had ballooned considerably into a still rather small, but nevertheless defined and rounded little pregnancy bump, which Monica wore proudly everywhere that she went. Now that her morning sickness was practically nonexistent, and she still was yet to have a bump that was uncomfortably large, this was her favourite period of pregnancy so far. Although, there was one downside to this, whilst she didn't mind her friends, family or acquaintances doing it, strangers insisted upon having a feel of her stomach, which Monica found to be rather annoying and tedious. But no matter where she went, everyone would reach out and touch her. Now, this wouldn't be too bad maybe, if this wasn't always followed with the 'so where's the father' conversation.

"So, where do you want to eat?" Chandler asked her.

"I don't know," Monica shrugged, her stomach growled "But I think the baby here wants food, and soon, so somewhere close," she said, rubbing her stomach with one hand.

"Okay," Chandler nodded, "There's a cafe down the road."

Monica smiled at him, "I forgot to ask," Monica said, "How was your date last night?"

Chandler let out a long, slow sigh, "Well I ended up alone, drinking beer and watching Baywatch," he shrugged, "So it well... it, errm, it blew."

Monica patted his arm sympathetically, "Well never mind, eh?" she smiled and kissed his cheek, "You'll find someone soon," she told him.

"Eh," Chandler shrugged, smiling at Monica as they walked into a small cafe together.

Monica stomach rumbled again and she sighed, "You know, this baby is determined to have a fat mummy."

"Oh please," Chandler opened the door for her, "You'll be that mum that all the boys fancy."

"Oh, yey," Monica said, her tone was dripping with sarcasm.

Chandler laughed again and put the bags onto the table by the window, "So, what do you want to dr-"

"Oh my God, Monica Geller?" a female shriek cut Chandler's sentence in half, he looked around at a red haired woman who waved to Monica, then back to Monica, who groaned.

"Oh God," Monica sighed, "That's Katie, I went to catering college with her."

The woman, who Chandler assumed to be Katie, half ran, half skipped towards them, grinning madly. He watched Monica plaster a smile on her face that only he and their friends would notice to be utterly faked.

"Hey, Katie," Monica smiled, "How've you been?"

"Oh, great," Katie gushed, "I just made head chef at my restaurant," she bragged, "And I'm engaged," she brandished a ring at her.

"That's brilliant," Monica said. First she bumped into Rachel, who was getting married, and now Katie too... and now there was her, a soon to be single mother.

"Well, enough about me," Katie said, shrugging nonchalantly, "I didn't know that you were pregnant," she said, her eyes going wide at the sight of her bump.

Monica smiled, "Well, I am," she tried to sound enthusiastic.

"That's brilliant, Mon," Katie said, "Who's the father?"

_Here we go again, _Monica sighed "Well-"

"It's me," Chandler said without giving it much thought, and held out his hand, Monica smiled at him thankfully.

"Oh," Katie smiled and shook her hand, "And who are you?"

"I'm Chandler, Monica's fiancé," he lied smoothly.

"I'm going to go and order, _honey,_" Chandler said, smiling coyly and putting his arm around Monica, "Diet coke?"

"Yes please, sweetie," Monica smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Okay," Chandler smiled, "It was nice meeting you, Katie," he said as he walked away.

"Oh wow," Katie squealed, "You're a lucky one, Mon," she said, "He is _cute_."

Monica refrained from giggling, "Thank you," she smiled.

"Your baby will be adorable," Katie told her, "You make a wonderful couple... but last I heard, you were dating that Kip guy."

Monica's jaw clenched at the mention of his name, "It didn't work out," she said through gritted teeth.

"Oh," Katie frowned, "Well I've got to go, it was nice seeing you... and Chandler."

"You too, Katie," Monica smiled at her, "Congratulations on your engagement."

Monica waved as Katie walked away and flopped onto the chair and breathed loudly, so glad Chandler had interjected that and she didn't have to tell yet another person about her single state.

Chandler smiled as he came over to Monica, he handed her a coke, "Here you go, _honey_," he winked.

"Thank you, _sweetie_," Monica laughed as he sat next to her, "Seriously, that saved an awkward conversation."

"No problem," Chandler smiled and took a sip of his coke.

"You know," Monica said, "Katie thought you were cute."

Chandler raised his eyebrows, "Really?" he smiled, "Well... I am pretty cute," he laughed.

"Hmmm," Monica rolled her eyes, "I don't see it," she teased.

Chandler gasped in false offense, "I can't believe you'd say that," he pouted.

Monica sighed and put her arm over his shoulder, "I'm sorry," she smiled, "You are actually very cute."

"Really?"

Monica laughed, "Okay, now you're just fishing for compliments," she grinned.

Chandler held his hands up, "You got me," he said playfully, "So what is it about me? My eyes, my sexy body-"

"Oh my God," Monica said abruptly.

"Hey, my body isn't-"

"No, Chandler," she took his hand and put them on her stomach, "The baby just kicked."

Chandler smiled at her, "Wow," he breathed as the baby kicked again.

"I know," Monica smiled, a little teary eyed at her first physical connection with her baby. It was amazing.

Chandler's hands lingered on her stomach as he smiled at her, "Is that the first time?"

"Yeah, it is," Monica whispered, transfixed on the sensation.

"Doesn't it feel weird having a little human kicking your guts?" Chandler asked after a few moments silence.

Monica sighed, "Way to ruin the moment, Chandler," she rolled her eyes, "But yeah, it does... but a good weird."

Chandler moved his hands from Monica's stomach and hugged her, she giggled again as the baby kicked.

"Hello, little one," Monica smiled at her stomach, "This so weird."

"What the baby kicking, or talking to a fetus?" Chandler asked.

Monica sighed, "Can't you ever be serious?" she asked.

Chandler shrugged, "Nope," he teased.

Monica hugged him, "And another reason why I love you," she smiled, just as the baby kicked again, she laughed, feeling teary eyed now.

"Why are you crying?" Chandler asked her gently, Monica shrugged.

"Is it because I said I can't be serious?" he said, "'Cause I can be."

Monica laughed and shook her head, "These are happy tears, Chandler."

"Oh," Chandler relaxed and a smile took to his lips again, "So, you're happy then, really happy?"

Monica smiled and put her head on his shoulder, "Yeah, I-I think I am."

**...**

_So this chapter should satisfy a few of your Mondler needs ;) _

_Okay... so you know how I've been updating like a trouper... that's likely to slow down now. I'm starting my Uni course on Monday, which is going to take up a lot of my time. I will carry on updating though, because I kinda, really like this writing stuff... Please carry on reviewing though, I may or may not have another chapter up in the next couple of days. :)_


	9. Chapter Nine

__Paste your document here...

_So a couple of days ago, I said 'I wouldn't have an update ready soon', but alas, here I am, again... I must warn you though, I'm writing this on the train journey home from my Aunt's house on my iPod. So don't be shocked if there are grammatical or spelling mistakes- I hate to make them, but I have a terrible laptop. I done something a little stupid too, I re-read earlier chapters, I found so many mistakes... God, it's pretty embarrassing._

_Also, its quiet late now, so I'm pretty damn tired... But I have this weird thing where I cannot fall asleep on a train, or coach... _

**_Please be warned, this chapter has some scenes others might find a little bit difficult to read... If you feel uncomfortable reading anything about dreams of miscarriges, please skip this chapter. But, I'd known since I planned this story this would be put in. Don't worry, I won't kill Monica's baby._**

_Please review everyone, thank you so much to everyone that already has reviewed for me. And thank you so, so, so much for all you're 'good luck at Uni' messages, you're all very, very sweet people. Thank you so much._

**Chapter Nine- 21 weeks pregnant**

The heat was unbearable, blistering hot and scorching against her skin, like fire burning each and every cell, sweat clung and poured off of her body and her deep, rasping, guttural breaths was the only sound in the still, humid air. But still, despite the furnace-like atmosphere, Monica shivered, like she was frozen cold. She stumbled around in a drunken like manner, quivering in a mixture of fear, worry and intense curiosity. She had absolutely no idea as to where she was, it was too dark to tell, she couldn't see her own hand an inch away from her wide, watering blue eyes, it was like stepping into a horror movie, the only element missing was the spine chilling musical arrangement.

Monica staggered forwards, feeling weak, but found herself bumping into a rock solid and tall inanimate object.

"Fuck," she cursed under her breath, but even murmuring those words was so much effort, she was so tired, she wanted to lie down and curl into a ball on the floor, close her eyes and be taken away by the sandman to a land that was safe and happy, like her dreams usually were. But still, for an unknown reason, she felt the urge to keep on walking, no matter what, keep on walking.

She held her hands up in front of her, like a child playing blind-mans-bluff, and strained to see through the black, darkness. Her attempts, though, were futile and once more, she walked into something solid. Frowning through the blind darkness, she felt the large, thick object with trembling, sweat encased fingers, it was rough to the touch, like a tree maybe, she ran her hands up and down, feeling the rough notches beneath her fingertips. It was definitely a tree, was she in a forest, or maybe a jungle? She shuddered and pressed onwards.

And then, though the silence came a gentle, musical laugh, like the laugh of a small baby or child when something entertains them, it was full of such angelic innocence, it made her heart swell and despite her fear, a small smile touched her lips.

"Hello, who's there?" she called through the darkness, stumbling forwards, feeling her way through the trees, walking towards the laughter.

The laughing got louder and louder, more hysterical and contagious, so much in fact, that Monica began to giggle a little too, she sped up and carried on walking, but the sound seemed to move, as the whatever-it-was , laughed harder and harder, so much that it actually became a little frightening and insane. Monica stopped in her tracks and shuddered, it felt like ice was being poured down her spine, or someone was walking over her grave, as the saying goes.

"Hello?" Monica shouted again. And the laughter stopped, and the frightening silence took to the blistering air once more.

"Hello," Monica shouted loudly, but still there was no reply. Disappointed, Monica carried on walking, her head low and her footsteps miserable as she tried to walk without hitting a tree or well, they might not be trees, she didn't know, it was too damn dark to know.

And then, unexpectedly, came the most horrible cry her ears had ever heard. It was a deafeningly loud cry, a spine chilling and blood curdling scream that erupted and rippled through the air, Monica's hands flew to her head and she covered her ears tightly, squeezing her eyes shut. It was nerve-jangling, petrifying, worse than any Hollywood movie scream, it was so genuinely pained and tortured, it hurt so much to hear it, she wanted to tear her ears from her head, rip them off so she wouldn't have to endure another second. She began to cry uncontrollably, tears fell like a waterfall down her sweaty face, her breaths grew weaker and weaker and she felt sick and dizzy, she wanted to run away and hide.

She wanted to die.

"Stop it," Monica screamed over the cry, and for a second it stopped.

"Mummy!" The screamer yelled and Monica fell to her knees like she was kicked in the gut, the taste of bitter bile rose to her mouth and she gasped out loud.

"Mummy, help me," the cry hurt her ears, Monica's eyes flew open and she rose to her feet, her heart sunk in her chest and she knew, she just knew, that that cry belonged to her child.

"Where are you?" Monica screamed over the baby's wails of anguish. She tried to run, but the trees grew thicker and thicker and thicker, her heart hammered in her chest and a pain like a million, red hot needles hurt her skin.

"Mummy, why won't you help me?"

"I'm trying," Monica screamed out.

There was a flash of blinding white light and Monica fell again, as did the sound, and soon, only Monica's pained cries could be heard. As the light slowly dimmed, Monica blinked furiously, trying desperately, so desperately to see her baby. But she couldn't. Shakily, she looked at herself, she stomach was ballooned and large under the white, unfamiliar floor length gown, Monica ran her fingers over it, but it was stone cold and rock solid.

"Hello?" Monica screamed. Looking around, but there was only whiteness, no trees. Monica stared upwards; it was like being in an endless white box, like a nightmare, it was so big, but she couldn't breathe and she felt so strangled. Her throat went dry suddenly, and Monica looked at herself again, her eyes grew wide as she noticed her white dress getting redder and redder as blood gushed and oozed from between her thighs.

"No, no, no," Monica shook her head, her dress begun to soak up the bright red blood. Her head spun, she couldn't lose her baby. No, no, no. She couldn't lose her baby... she couldn't.

**...**

Monica woke up panting hard and crying, lying on her couch in the familiar purple apartment. Sweating hard and struggling to breathe, she forced herself up into a seating position. It was still light.

"No, no, no," she whispered, rubbing her swollen stomach, trying to feel something... anything, but the baby wasn't kicking. It was probably just sleeping, her rational side of her brain said, but her more dominant, nightmare induced mind screamed bloody-murder that her baby was dead. Furiously, she pulled her sweatpants down and looked for blood, but she found nothing but her slightly sweaty legs. Monica shivered, but she couldn't relax, she was still crying uncontrollably, craving the need of her babies kick inside her.

The door opened, but she didn't look up to see who it was, she just carried on crying, wanting her baby to move, needing it to. Her dream, well nightmare, had really, really shaken her, made her absolutely terrified.

"Monica, what happened?"

It was Joey, she looked through her tears at him, seeing him drop his coat, half-run towards her and pull her in tight hug.

"Monica, what happened, is it the baby?" he asked, sounding so concerned. In the four-or-so months he'd known Monica for, he felt very protective over her, and Phoebe too, it was like joining a little family.

Monica shook her head, "I just- I dreamed I lost the baby," Monica managed between cries, "And now he's not kicking, and-"

"He's probably sleeping, Mon," Joey said sweetly, pulling his friend close.

"I know," Monica put her head on his shoulder as she cried, "I know, but I just- I don't know."

Joey kissed her head, he wasn't entirely comfortable, and probably Ross or Chandler would be better, but he held her closely, "It's okay, I'm sure," he said gently, "When my sister was pregnant, she had nightmares all the time, you're okay... and the baby's probably sleeping, like you were."

Monica sniffed and nodded, "I know," she whispered, "I just, I got so scared."

Joey took her hand, "I think Chandler's home, do you wanna come over?" he asked.

Monica nodded, "Thank you, Joey, you're really sweet."

Joey smiled, as she breathed normally, but still gripped her stomach, trying to feel her baby, feel anything.

"Come on," Joey put his arm around her and took her over to his and Chandler's apartment, hoping Chandler would be home. He knew Monica better, and even though he claimed to be bad at advice, he could cheer Monica up and make her feel at ease better than anyone else could, a trait that everyone was jealous of in Monica and Chandler's friendship, "I'm sure the baby's fine, Mon," he said, "Walking might wake him or her up a little."

Monica nodded, that made sense, she breathed deeply and tried to see through her tears as she padded towards their apartment.

"Oh my God, Monica, what's happened?" Chandler leapt to his feet almost immediately upon seeing the tears on her cheeks, and the sad desperation in her bloodshot blue eyes.

"She had a nightmare about losing the baby," Joey explained, "And the baby hasn't kicked since."

"Well, it's probably just sleeping, Mon," Chandler said, holding Monica tightly in a firm hug.

"That's what Joey said," Monica sniffed, "I'm just, I'm not thinking straight."

Chandler and Joey lead her to their couch and sat each side of their friend; the two men shared an alarmed look, both a little out of their depths with their crying, pregnant friend.

"I don't want to lose the baby," she told them.

"I know," Chandler comforted her, "You won't."

"Chandler's right," Joey said, "It'll be okay."

Chandler switched the TV off and held Monica still, his hands discreetly touching her stomach, he wanted the baby to kick, to put Monica ease again. Somehow, as if his prayers had been heard, a firm, hard little kick from the baby made Monica gasp and Chandler breathe a sigh of relief.

"Oh my God," Monica breathed, revealing as her baby fussed and moved inside her, she closed her eyes and tears of relief fell down her cheek.

"What happened?" Joey asked, looking at them, confused.

"The baby kicked," Monica said, smiling slightly.

Joey's shoulders relaxed too, "Really?"

"Yeah," Monica smiled, she reached over and put his hand on her stomach, the three of them smiled as the baby kicked harder.

Chandler squeezed her shoulders, "See, Mon, it's all okay," he said, "Kicking away like crazy."

Monica nodded and dried her tears, "I know," she nodded at her two friends, "Thank you, both of you... I was just, that dream," she shuddered, "It really freaked me out."

"I know," Chandler kissed her head.

"Are you going to be okay now, Mon?" Joey asked, "Only, I have a date."

"I'm fine Joey," Monica smiled, "Thank you."

"What're friends for?" Joey shrugged; he kissed her cheek and smiled at her.

"Have fun on your date, Joey," Monica told him.

"Yeah," Chandler smiled, "I'd wish you luck... but you don't need it."

"Thanks guys," Joey stood up, "I'm glad you're feeling better, Mon."

When Joey closed the door, Chandler held Monica in a protective hug. Monica leaned against him and sighed.

"God, I'm a mess," Monica shook her head.

"You're not," Chandler said, "You were just worried, that dream really freaked you out, didn't it?"

Monica nodded, "It was so surreal and weird, but, when the baby didn't kick, I just, I panicked and felt really guilty."

"Guilty?"

"When I first found out about the baby, I wished I wasn't pregnant," Monica sniffed, "I thought I wished him away."

Chandler squeezed her shoulders, "Him?" he asked.

"I don't know," Monica shrugged, "I don't like calling my baby an 'it', I think it sounds cold."

"I see what you mean;" Chandler smiled, "Are you okay now?"

"Yeah, I'm glad Joey was there."

"He's a good guy," Chandler said.

"He is," Monica replied, she twisted around and look into his eyes, "And so are you, you're one of the good guys."

"I am?" Chandler couldn't help but grin.

"Yeah," Monica nudged his ribs, "You, Joey, Ross, you're all good guys," she said, "Kip is one of the arseholes."

Chandler sighed, Monica hadn't mentioned Kip in a while, "You're one of the good girls too," he told her.

"Thanks," Monica said, "But why do the good girls get screwed over and the good guys stay single?"

"What a philosophical thought?" Chandler rolled his eyes, "But you're right... But it's 'cause guys like a bad girl, and good girls fall for the jerks."

"The world is messed up."

"It sure is," Chandler agreed, he shifted his weight a little, "You know your dream, that's not going to happen, right?"

Monica nodded, "I just got so scared," she said, she gave her pregnancy bump a gentle pat.

"It won't happen, I promise."

Monica closed her eyes. Hoping that Chandler was right, she couldn't lose this baby.

**...**

_Thank you for reading. Please review._


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